Musical toy device for rocking chairs



May l, 1951 M. GOODMAN E-rAl. 2,550,991

MUSICAL TOY DEVICE FOR ROCKING CHAIRS Filed May 29, 1950 INVENTORS. MURRAY GOODMAN JACK DI FRANCO Patented May 1, 1951 2,550,991 MUSICAL 'roY DEVICE FOR RoCKlNG CHAIRS Murray Goodman, Brooklyn and Jack Di Franco,

New York, N. Y.

Application May 29, 1950, Serial No. 165,006

This invention relates to musical toy devices for rocking chairs.

Heretofore, it was the practice to operate musical toys applied to the lower surface of seats of rocking chairs by means of levers and links, which have their free ends in the proximity of the floors, extending below the rocker legs, so that as these curved legs move in their rocking action, the ends of the levers would operate the links, and thus the musical toy. Such devices were rather complicated and would easily get out of order, and thus require repair.

` The invention consists of a self contained unit consisting of a common supporting plate upon which the standard musical toy is secured, and which plate has an end bracket to pivotally support a weighted pendulum which is pivoted to the bracket and which pendulum has an extending arm extending from the bracket and over the known gear wheel of the musical toy, said extending arm supporting a flat spring bent to shape to engage the gear spaces, and to act as a pawl'in respect thereto. The bending of the spring member provides an inclination to engage the gear spaces at all times, when the spring is moved by the pendulum over the gear'.V To the extent of the throw of the pendulum swing the gear is rotated, and thereby the drum is rotated, the pins of which engage the stationary musical strips. Instead, of a few or a series of tones created by the forward throw of the pendulum (the rearward throw of the pendulum riding the spring pawl on the gear without turning the gear rearwardly), the successive forward throw of the pendulum, may tension a suitably disposed helical spring, until it is wound, and its release will then rotate the drum an entire revolution, and cause the complete tune to be played, the partial or the complete tune being played during the rocking of the rocker which without further levers and linkages. operates the pendulum pivoted to the bracket of the plate supporting the musical toy mechanism secured as a unit to the bottom of the seat of the rocking chair. This unit is covered by a cap, to protect the enclosed parts from dust and dirt, whereby an attachment is provided which is entirely self contained and which may be readily attached to the rocking chair with the pendulum hanging downwardly.

The invention will be further described, an embodiment shown in the drawings, and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. l is a perspective view of a rocking chair having the improved device attached thereto;

Fig. 2 is a top view of the improved device; Fig. 3 is an end view of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side view of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a top view of a modified form of the device shown in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 6 is a side view of a modified form of the mechanism shown in Fig. 4, in which the barrel will swing with each swing of the pendulum.

Similar characters of reference indicate cor-l responding parts throughout the various views.

Referring to the drawings, the musical toy unit' is' generally indicated by I9, and consists of a base plate |I having two bearing supports I2 and 3, in which a shaft i4 having a drum l5, is supported. The base plate I I has a part |0a cut out, and supports a slitted plate I6 secured to the base plate |,I by screws |1. The slits I8 form tongs |9v o f gradually increasing length, which determine the musical tone produced, and the tip ends of units are well known and per se form no part of the invention sought to be claimed.

A backing plate 25 is provided to which this musical unit is attached by screws 26 or the like, and this backing plate 25 has a bracket 21 disposed at one side of the backing plate 25, and at right angles thereto. This bracket 21 has a bearing 28 in which a stud shaft 29 is pivotally movable, and this shaft 29, is arranged co-axial with the shaft |4 of the musical toy unit. A washer 30 is preferably placed at the exterior surface of the bracket 21.

To the stud shaft 29 is applied a pendulum arm 32 having a weight 33, which arm has a part 34 bent at right angles, and extending inwardly of the bracket 21 until it about extends over the gear wheel 2|. To the part 34, there is secured a spring plate 35, by a detachable screw 35 or the like, which spring plate 35 has its free or lower end extend over in a substantially tangential manner to the periphery of the gear wheel 2| and the spring plate 35 is slightly twisted so that its free edge may enter the gear spaces.

It is important here to point out that the bending of the part 34 to the pendulum arm While generally at right angles, is twisted, so that the plane of the part 34 and the plane of the spring plate 35 are parallel with each other,

by reason of which an arc shaped movement of the free edge of the spring plate may enter the gear spaces, and thus by the forward movement of the spring plate 34 actuated by the pendulum arm 32, the drum will be rotated to the extent of the circular movement of the free edge of the spring plate 34. It is the twisting of the part 34', and the twisting ofthe spring plate 35, and their rotative movement in respect to the gear wheel 2|, that enables the weighted pendulum action to rotate the drum to the exltent of movement of the part 34f Such partial rotation provides a series of notes and not' a complete tune.

Should it be desired to have' the drum, provide a complete tune, the pendulum action can. be used to wind up a circular or helical springr 40 which has one end secured to the shaft and the other end to a loosely placed gear to which the other end of the spring is attached, and the pendulum action willV continue until ther spring 40 is wound, whenV it will unwind and rotate the drum one complete revolution or two revolutions, and thereby produce a complete tune.

For the ready attachment of the musical unit with its backing plate and pendulum, to a rocker chair, a cap or container 4i is provided which'has its top wall 42 secured to the backing plate 25, by suitable screws 43, and has three side walls M, 45- andv 46, each withl a bent flange 44a, 45a', and 46a, each provided with openings Mb,- 45h,

'and 46h, through which screws or the like may pass and support the container 4l to the bottom surface of the seat of a rocking chair. When so applied, the user of the chair rocks the chair, and thev pendulum arm serves tor manipulate the parts described without the aid of the user, or

without the aid of any complex links, levers.

50 is pivoted at one end toV the upper end ofy the pendulum 321 at 5I, and at the other end is pivoted at 52 to another lin-k 53, which has its endy 55.' secured to a spring plate pawl 56 to cngage the inclined teeth 21a The link 53, is pivoted. at 5l!I to the plate in av suitable manner.

.4 Hence, when the pendulum 32 moves in one dlrection the spring plate pawl 35 moves the gear 21a, and when the pendulum 32 moves in the other direction, the spring plate pawl 55 moves gear 2lb in the same direction, thus the Sounds produced are of longer duration than from the modification shown in Fig. 4.

The improved musical unit is self-contained, and may be readily and inexpensively manufactured in mass production and is readily applied to any rocking chair.

Wer wish it to be understood that we do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modif oations will occur to a person skilled in the art.

We claim:

In a musical instrument for rocking chairs, an article of manufacture comprising a selfcontained unit, having a rotating barrel with pins and registering musical strips of different length to engage said pins to be activated thereby, a shaft for the barrel, a gear on' said shaft, and a plate for rotatably supporting said shaft and for supporting said strips, in combination with a ca-p having top and side walls, said side walls having means to secure the cap to a .rock-ing cha-ir, abracket secured to said platev and extending within said cap, a bearing on said bracket, and a pendulum outside of said cap and pivoted to said bearing, said pendulum having a part to engage said gear, whereby uponl the swingingy of the pendulum upon the rocking ofthe rocking. chair, said part rotates the gear and the barrel, to produce a musical sound, and

' the cap Withthe pendulum extending vertically downwardly from said cap, when applied to the rocking chair applies the entire musical mecha'nismto the rocking chair, the rocking of the chair actuating the pendulum.

MURRAY GOODMAN. JACK DI FRANCO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file' of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,251,141 Lehman July 29, 1941 2,321,365, Darche June 8, 1943 2,501,861 Braun Mar. 28, 1950 

